The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics
2009 , Vol 51 , Num 3
Estimated daily intake of cadmium by children living in the city of Niš, Serbia
Medical Faculty, University of Niš1,Institute for Public Health of Niš, Niš, Serbia2,
Cadmium is widely abundant in the air, water, soils and foodstuffs. Cadmium
exposure and accumulation in the body start at a young age. Accumulation
occurs in various tissues and organs, especially in the kidney cortex. This
study was initiated to examine the total intake of cadmium among preschool
children. The study group consisted of 275 children aged 1 to 6 years.
Estimation of daily intake of cadmium was calculated using the recommended
formula, which takes into consideration all the potential means of children’s
exposure to cadmium. The average daily cadmium intake in children aged
1 to 3 years was 1.06 μg/kg, while for the children aged 4 to 6 years, the
average daily cadmium intake was 1.06 μg/kg. Biomonitoring methods were
used to assess the effects of a contaminated environment on the children’s
health. Our research showed that children take in the highest amount of
cadmium from food. It is estimated that by the age of 1-3 years, children
have accumulated 1.31 mg of cadmium in the body, while those aged 4-6
years have accumulated 8.80 mg. The persistence in the environment of
this metal requires a long-term move toward minimizing human exposure
through environmental management and preservation of lower cadmium levels
wherever possible.
Keywords :
cadmium, biomonitoring, estimated daily intake, exposure, children.